Cardiology Residency

Objectives of the Residency Program in Cardiology

Cardiology residents hold appointments as Veterinary Clinical
Associates (VCAs) or Veterinary Resident Instructors. Residents are
expected to provide patient care teaching assistance in the
clinical programs of the College of Veterinary Medicine and
Biomedical Sciences and successfully complete a resident research
project. Faculty will make extensive efforts to provide an
outstanding program, but the ultimate responsibility for value
gained from the program lies with the resident.

The training objectives for residents in cardiology are as
follows:

Provide the resident with the opportunity to become proficient
in advanced diagnostic and therapeutic methods in cardiology.

Permit the resident to satisfy the requirements for board
certification set forth by the American College of Veterinary
Internal Medicine (ACVIM), subspecialty cardiology.

Prepare the resident to express clinical ideas and concepts to
other members of the veterinary profession in a concise,
professional manner (e.g., seminars, lectures).

Introduce the resident to clinical investigation by
facilitating completion and publication of the resident's mandatory
research project.

Prepare the resident to flourish in the practice of cardiology
in the private sector or the academic setting, or to pursue further
advanced training.

Individual Resident Advisor

Resident Advisor

By October 1st of the 1st year, the resident shall choose or
have a cardiology faculty member assigned to be his/her Residency
Advisor, and shall register him/herself with the ACVIM -- specialty
of Cardiology. Although each resident will have a specific advisor
all cardiology faculty are actively involved in the supervision and
mentoring of every cardiology resident

Responsibilities of Advisors and
Cardiology Faculty

Ensure that the resident is aware of all requirements of the
residency program and options that are available. The resident is
expected to consult with his/her prospective advisor(s) within 30
days after the start of the program to begin developing his/her
individual schedule.

Supervise completion of scheduled requirements according to
guidelines established by the Medicine Residency Committee and
ACVIM.

Suggest reading material to aid in preparation for the general
and/or certifying board examinations.

Communicate appropriate feedback to the resident regarding
his/her continued progress in the program. Although encouraged at
other times as well, feedback to the resident will be provided each
time the Medicine Residency Committee conducts its evaluations
twice yearly. On these occasions, the resident's advisor also will
inform the Medicine Residency Committee about the resident's
progress.

Responsibilities of the Head of Department
and Section Chiefs

Notify the resident of his/her assigned clinical teaching
responsibilities (i.e., laboratory instruction, didactic lectures,
etc.). Note: Residents will occasionally be expected to assist in
didactic and laboratory instruction of students in the professional
curriculum. They shall not head or have major teaching
responsibilities for any course, elective, or didactic.

Graduate Program

A Master's degree program to run concurrently with the residency
is optional; residents wishing to pursue a PhD program are strongly
advised to consider a consecutive type of program (e.g., PhD
followed by a residency or vice versa). A resident who wishes to
pursue a degree should discuss available options before their
program starts or soon after with their advisor.

Specific requirements of the graduate degree program are
described in greater detail in the Texas A&M University
Graduate Catalog.

Cardiology Residency Program

Goals, Related Objectives and
Requirements

Completion of a 3-year advanced clinical training program
subject to formal evaluation, under supervision of board-certified
individuals (internal medicine, cardiology, oncology, neurology,
anesthesiology, radiology, emergency medicine and critical care)
designed to educate the resident in the art and science of
cardiology.

Preparation of the resident to qualify for examination and
certification by the ACVIM. The resident is required to register
with the Secretary-Treasurer of the ACVIM at the beginning of
his/her training program (see ACVIM General Information Guide
(GIG). The ACVIM website is http://www.acvim.org/ .

Completion of a resident project including manuscript
preparation and publication is required. The resident in
consultation with their advisor and cardiology faculty will develop
a research project early in the first year of their program.
Research topic will be chosen to compliment the ongoing research
interests of senior cardiology faculty. The resident is required to
satisfactorily present the completed research in a departmental or
medicine section seminar by June 1 of the 3rd year and a manuscript
should be submitted for publication by the end of the
residency.

Participation in didactic and laboratory instruction of
students in the professional curriculum is another component of
residency training. The resident may be required or elect to help
with laboratories in certain courses. This affords teaching
experience as well as further professional development. The
resident is expected to participate in daily student rounds and to
help in the clinical instruction of third and fourth year
veterinary students.

Participation in teaching of clinical medicine and patient
management in the professional student program.

All residents will be required to present an oral seminar to
the faculty once yearly. In the first year, it is suggested that
the resident present a seminar on the proposed research topic. For
the second year, the resident should present data from their
research project or an alternative topic. In the third year, the
resident will present their final results from their research
project.

Residents may elect to take the ACVIM general examination
either a) after 2 years of his/her residency program, or b) with
the certifying examination after 3 years of the residency. If
option (a) is chosen, application to take the general exam is due
by October 1 of the 2nd year. Application to take the general and
certifying exams or certifying exam alone (if the general exam has
already been passed) is due by October 1 of the 3rd year.

Formal evaluation by the Section of Medicine will be done at
least twice yearly each year of the 3-year program. The evaluation
process will be conducted by the Medicine Residency Committee.
Continuation of in the program is dependent upon successful
evaluations and annual reappointment.

Salaries and Benefits

Salaries are determined annually by the Head of the Department.
They are standard for all residents in the Department of Veterinary
Small Animal Clinical Sciences, and currently salaries increase
with each year of service.

Residents may participate in the University's medical-surgical
insurance program.

All courtesies, such as athletic ticket purchases, use of
university facilities, etc., are the same as for other
faculty.

A Texas Veterinary license is required. A "special" license can
be obtained by taking a short jurisprudence test during initial
orientation. The cost of the annual license is paid for by the
teaching hospital.

Some discretionary dollars are available on an annual basis for
residents to use for the purchase of books or attendance of
meetings.

Certification of Completion of
Program

A certificate of completion of the residency program will be
presented to the resident upon successful completion of the 3-year
medical residency. A certificate will not be given for partial
completion of a 3-year program or if the resident project is
incomplete or unsatisfactory. ACVIM bylaws require institutional
certification of completion of the candidate's residency before an
ACVIM diploma is granted.

Duties and Responsibilities

The clinical service assignments and educational programs are
established to meet, and exceed, the minimum requirements for
residency training programs in the specialty of Cardiology as
outlined in the ACVIM GIG by year of initiation of program.

All residents are required to participate in the provision of
emergency services by the Small Animal Clinic which may include
providing backup to interns on emergency cases and taking medicine
transfers. Residents will be required to take case transfers on
weekends to facilitate patient care of medicine referrals. In most
cases this duty will occur when the resident is on a clinical
rotation. The schedule will be assigned by the Head Resident using
a rotating schedule. 1st-year residents have more than 2nd-year,
etc. However, variations in assignments may occur if necessary to
facilitate the function of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. In
addition cardiology residents provide cardiology back-up on a
rotating basis with other cardiology residents.

Participation in the departmental faculty-intern-resident
training is required. The seminar program consists of a variety of
scheduled professional development activities (clinicopathologic
conferences, seminars and group discussions) arranged by the Head
Resident in conjunction with a Faculty Coordinator. In general,
activities will be scheduled weekly.

Residents are expected to present 3, 45 minute, seminars over
the course of the 3-year program in the departmental
Intern-Resident Seminar Series. Details of the requirements can be
obtained from the Chair of the Residency Committee.

Residents will occasionally be expected to assist in didactic
and laboratory instruction of students in the professional
curriculum. They shall not head or have major teaching
responsibilities for any course, elective, or didactic.

Participation in phone consultations with veterinarians/clients
will be required. Responsibility will increase as the program
progresses.

Holiday duty assignments will be determined by the Chief of
Medicine and the Head Resident.

Service Rotation

First-Year Resident in
Cardiology

Clinical duty assignments: 11 blocks on and 1 professional
development block (1 block = 4 weeks); the development block to be
scheduled in the last half of the year.

Registration with the secretary-treasurer of the ACVIM should
be done by October 1st of the 1st year.

The research project topics should be formalized and or the
project initiated the end of the first year.

Faculty-intern-resident Seminar Program Participation

The Head Resident and Faculty Coordinator for this program will
schedule and assign responsibility for activities within this
program. No more than 2 major presentations will be required of an
individual during the 1st year.

Participation in the departmental seminar program and
cardiology rounds is required. In addition, attending seminars and
conferences held by other units of the college (e.g., radiology,
necropsy, pathology, clinical pathology, physiology, etc.) is
encouraged.

Service Rounds - Daily rounds of assigned clinical service are
required, but the degree of participation will vary with the
service and will by determined by the senior clinician.

The first-year resident(s) will be assigned to clinical duty
during the ACVIM Forum.

Second-Year Resident in
Cardiology

Clinical duty assignments: 10 blocks (1 block = 4 weeks) on and
2 professional development blocks or 9 blocks on and 3 professional
development blocks if resident is able to justify need for time off
to complete project or an out-rotation and it does not interfere
with scheduling of the clinical cardiology service. The
professional development blocks will be scheduled to meet the needs
of the resident and the department by the best available
compromise.

The research project should be initiated with substantial
progress made toward completion in year 2 of the program.
Manuscript preparation should begin.

The 2nd-year resident may apply to take the ACVIM general
examination following 2 years of his/her residency program. If this
option is chosen, application to the ACVIM is due by October 1 of
the 2nd year.

Participation in Intern-Resident seminars, clinical rounds,
teaching assignments, and emergency duty will continue as described
in other portions of this document.

Third-Year Resident in
Cardiology

Clinical duty assignments: 9 blocks on (1 block = 4 weeks) and
3 professional development blocks; the professional development
blocks to be scheduled to meet the needs of the resident and the
department by the best available compromise.

Application to take the ACVIM certifying examination (or
general and certifying examination) is due by October 1 of the 3rd
year. Acceptance of your program and credentials packet is required
before the candidate is eligible for full diplomat status. See
ACVIM GIG for specific requirements by year of initiation of
program.

The following guidelines are strongly encouraged. All data
collection and analysis for the research project should be
completed by December 1 of the final year, and manuscript
preparation should be started. Research projects should be written
in final form for submission to a refereed journal by June 1 of the
3rd year. Satisfactory completion of a research project is required
for residency certification.

Participation in Intern-Resident seminars, clinical rounds,
teaching assignments, and emergency duty will continue as described
in other portions of this document.